What happens when you have requested connection to DBCTL

When you have requested connection to DBCTL, you get messages confirming that connection is taking place.

If you have used the CDBC menu, the following messages are displayed on the terminal: 
Status of the Interface: DFHDB8292I DBCTL CONNECT PHASE 2 IN PROGRESS.
Status of the Interface: DFHDB8293I DBCTL CONNECTED AND READY.
If you have not used the CDBC menu, the following messages are displayed on the MVS console: 
+DFHDB8210D CONNECTION TO DBCTL IS PROCEEDING. CHECK CDBC TD QUEUE.
+DFHDB8225I DBDCCICS THE DBCTL ID IS SYS1. THE DRA STARTUP TABLE SUFFIX IS 00.
CICS-DBCTLDFHDBnnnn messages that are issued when you are using CDBC.

If DBCTL is not yet available, the main CICS-supplied IMS control exit, DFHDBCTX, is invoked. DFHDBCTX in turn calls DFHDXAX. For more information about the IMS control exit routines, see the appropriate Exit routines in IMS product documentation.

For a DBCTL restart, the control exit is invoked as for any DBCTL connection attempt. However, instead of returning control directly to the DRA, the control transaction invokes the DFHDXAX module. This control exit routine checks to see if it is being invoked for a failing connection:
  • If it is not being invoked for a failing connection, it does not attempt to connect and passes back control.
  • If it is being invoked for a failing connection, it checks the input arguments to determine whether:
    • An IDENTIFY attempt failed, and
    • CICS® is not in the process of terminating

If an IDENTIFY failed, and CICS is not terminating, DFHDXAX selects the current DBCTL ID, and initiates repeated attempts to reconnect to the current DBCTL, thus avoiding operator intervention.

Retries are made every five seconds for a ten minute period, and message DFHDB8297 is issued periodically. If reconnection is still not successful after ten minutes, DFHDXAX abandons the attempt, and requests IMS to issue message DFS0690A, which requires operator intervention. IMS messages and codes in IMS product documentation contains guidance on interpreting the messages that are displayed when you are using CDBC. If you reply CANCEL, the connection attempt is abandoned. It you reply WAIT, the DRA attempts to connect again after the number of seconds specified in the TIMER parameter in the DRA startup parameter table. If the connection attempt fails again, the DRA continues to attempt to connect after the same number of seconds. You can stop these repeated connection attempts by using the CDBC transaction to disconnect from DBCTL. You can use either the same instance of CDBC or run the transaction on a different terminal. Disconnection takes effect when the DRA next tries to reconnect to DBCTL.